Dedicated blood donor receives award from WHO Representative Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain
17 June 2021 – WHO and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education observed World Blood Donor Day on 14 June in an event organized by the WHO Representative Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain. The Ministry was represented by Dr Payman Eshgi, Managing Director of Islamic Republic of Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization and President of High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, which is also a WHO collaborating centre. He delivered a message on behalf of His Excellency the Minister of Health and Medical Education of Islamic Republic of Iran.
Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain visits a blood donation centre with Dr Payman Eshgi, Managing Director of Islamic Republic of Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization and President of High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion MedicineThe country's blood transfusion and blood safety programme is one of the most sophisticated and has a long history of safety and haemovigilance of blood and blood products, in accordance with international and WHO standards. The programme is based on 100% voluntary basis blood donation and the Iranian people readily and regularly donate blood.
The Blood Transfusion Organization has a robust infrastructure and blood donation posts and laboratory facilities are stationed around the country to test and safely screen blood. The country is self sufficient and uses sophisticated technology to extract cells, including plasma derivatives for therapeutic drugs and exportation. The Blood Transfusion Organization is actively involved in providing convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients and seroprevalence studies. The Organization assigns and maintains a database of blood donor ambassadors who receive this title after donating blood more than 30 times. The country has 1400 blood donor ambassadors and 2 people who received awards at the event were added to the list.
Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative, acknowledged the excellent leadership of His Excellency the Minister of Health and Medical Education and Dr Payman for the country's exemplary achievements and assured them of WHO's continuing technical support to the blood transfusion and blood safety programme.
Blood donor stories
Majid Zare, Tehran
I am Majid Zare, 25 years old and work as a lawyer. I was born in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. This is not a first time that I am donating blood; but whenever I donate blood, I have an extraordinary feeling afterwards and I feel like I did such a great job!
I am always thinking about whose life is going to be saved by my blood donation. I know someone in a hospital bed awaits my safe blood and anyone who is assured about his/her blood safety should try this humanitarian act of saving lives. Apart from having a great feeling and doing something altruistic, blood donation is good for my health too.
Elham Etemadi Nasab
I am Elham Etemadi Nasab, 32 years old and born in Tehran. When I heard that the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization needed blood and blood products, I decided to put my fear of needles aside and for the first time I donated blood and experienced the good feeling that comes after.
It was not scary at all and instead it helped me to avoid risky behaviours such as getting tattoos, and now I follow a healthy lifestyle.
The truth is that the distance from my bed to the bed of patient who needs blood in hospitals is just a vein apart and the blood that streaming in my body keeps them alive.
Plasma donation, Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization
I was infected to COVID-19 some time ago. Since I had serious illness and experienced many difficulties during my disease, I decided to come to the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization and donate convalescent plasma to help patients with COVID-19. Hygienic protocols are completely followed in the Organization's blood collection centres; face masks are given to all blood donors and social distancing is fully observed. Implementing these hygienic measures help us to save the lives of patients of COVID-19.